Hello everyone, and welcome to this week’s Riding the Rails post that our friends at the Magical Blogorail host each week. In this week’s edition, we are taking a look at the Wide World of Sports complex, and particularly how it has been the home of the Atlanta Braves for Spring Training for 17 consecutive years now! Personally, I have never been over to the WWoS facility — I’m not sure why, maybe it’s because that Magic Kingdom captures my attention ;) — but I do have family that have been there, and today I’m going to take a moment to think about them for a while.
This Spring Training has got to be a little hard for many of Cindy’s family. Uncle Bob, who we lost a few months back, was a huge Atlanta Braves fan, and he and his wife, along with Cindy’s Uncle Sam and Aunt Saundra, and even Uncle Bud and Aunt Carol once, would make a pilgrimage of sorts to visit the Spring Training facilities for their favorite teams for many years. It was a tradition that they had. Uncle Bob’s Braves, Uncle Sam’s Reds, Aunt Saundra’s Dodgers, Aunt Clara’s Cardinals, and Uncle Bud’s Orioles — at some time or another they were all in Florida for Spring Training, if my memory serves me correctly.
For Aunt Clara in particular, this year is hardest because the tradition that they all observed — being in fellowship with those they loved, and enjoying the sport that they enjoyed so much — that tradition is in part broken with Uncle Bob’s passing. This spring is a reminder to us all that our memories are very important — and that, just when we might be moving on and remembering the good and putting aside the bad, something reminds us of our loss — like Spring Training for Aunt Clara — and just like that, we remember the sorrow and the loss all over again. Last month I wrote a post about the song “Do you want to build a snowman?” from the movie Frozen. Today, I’m thinking that Aunt Clara is another person who would like to be building a snowman with Uncle Bob…
My hope and prayer today is that Aunt Clara will take at least one more trip with Uncle Sam, Aunt Saundra, and the others, and travel through to Spring Training one last time. It would be a difficult journey, I believe, but I think it would remind her of all the incredibly great times that they have all had with those trips in the past — and I think Uncle Bob would be there too, rooting on his Braves in Spirit, even if he isn’t there in person.
Thank you for stopping by today! This post is part of the Riding the Rails series over at the Magical Blogorail — click on the button below to check out the rest of the posts, and thanks! Now, go out and make today and everyday a great Disney Day!
